美国国家公共电台 NPR New York's Met Museum Director Resigns Amid Financial Troubles

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The Metropolitan¹ Museum of Art in New York City seemed to be starting this year strong. Tripadvisor called it the number one art museum in the world. Attendance has reached record highs. That happened under the direction of Thomas Campbell. But suddenly, he's stepping down. Here's Charlie Herman of our member station WNYC.

CHARLIE HERMAN, BYLINE²: His resignation comes as a shock. Campbell came to the museum 22 years ago as a curator in the tapestry³ department and became director and CEO in 2009. Since then, he's been expanding the museum's offerings. But it's come at a price.

ROBIN⁴ POGREBIN: Over the last year, it found itself in financial difficulty.

HERMAN: Robin Pogrebin is a culture reporter for The New York Times who's been digging into the museum's finances. It turns out the Met's been spending more than it's been bringing in. This year, it's looking at a $15 million deficit⁵.

POGREBIN: There has been sort of a growing sense of concern and discontent within the museum about Mr. Campbell's leadership. And I think that it came to a head.

HERMAN: During Campbell's tenure⁶, the museum spent $16 million renovating⁷ another building so it can exhibit modern and contemporary art. Managing that new location costs an additional $21 million each year. And at the same time, revenue hasn't been growing as fast. A year ago, it settled a lawsuit⁸ over how much visitors should pay for admission, changing the word recommended to suggested. Now, about 1 in 5 visitors pay full price - $25.

Andrew Taylor is an associate professor of art management at American University. He says leaders of world-class museums like the Met have to take bold actions to get people's attention. They also need to pay for those plans.

ANDREW TAYLOR: The things that get them in trouble are walking the tight rope a little too far to one side or the other. They are on a delicate balance about doing bold programming but also being conservative in spending.

HERMAN: The director of the Met is perhaps the most prestigious⁹ art leadership position in America. It comes with a million dollar-plus salary and an apartment across the street from the museum. It's unclear who will replace Campbell. But nearly all the museum's leaders have come from the ranks of the curators. For NPR News, I'm Charlie Herman in New York.

1 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

4 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

7 renovating   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园，使生产大大增加。
• Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子，你得花很多钱。

8 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

9 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。